Filenews 9 March 2022 - by Marilena Panagi
On March 9, 2020, exactly two years ago, Cyprus froze when the Ministry of Health announced the detection of the first 2 coronavirus cases in Cyprus. Both imported were for citizens who had travelled to the UK and Italy. The very next day, March 10, 2020, the Council of Ministers took the first decisions to take measures. Barricades were closed, all schools in Nicosia district were closed, parades were banned, fans were left out of the stadiums. The number of cases gradually began to rise. On 11/3, the World Health Organization officially declares the "epidemic" as a "pandemic" while two days later, on March 13, the President of the Republic proceeds with its first address on the pandemic.
On 15 March, the Government reviews its previous decisions. From 6 a.m. on March 16, 2020, Cyprus entered a universal lockdown, closing ports and airports at the same time, essentially following the rest of the European countries. On the same day, a double-digit number of cases (13) had been identified. On 21 March 2020, Cyprus records the first death due to the coronavirus. A total of 10 people had died that month and 267 coronavirus cases were recorded.
The blanket ban remained in place until May 2020 with a gradual de-escalation of restrictions. From March 9, 2020 to May 17, a total of 939 cases had been identified and a total of 17 deaths had been recorded with the final cause of the coronavirus. Cyprus lived in isolation for almost three months.
The summer of 2020 went relatively smoothly and some scientists dared to even talk about an end to the pandemic. In August, the small outbreak recorded in the Limassol district shook the waters somewhat with the number of cases not exceeding 20 on average and for only a few days.
A new alarm was sounded at the end of September, when the number of cases detected was consistently in double digits with an upward trend with the spread of the virus being detected to a greater extent in the Larnaca district and the Famagusta free area. In October 2020, the first three-digit numbers were recorded, and in early December it made its appearance on the island of the British mutation (an "alpha" mutation as it was later called).
The continuous deterioration of the epidemiological indicators and the bad epidemiological picture presented at the time by the districts of Limassol and Paphos, led the Government to take tough decisions, proceeding to the confinement of the two areas and forcing citizens who travelled to the rest of the provinces to undergo molecular tests on a weekly basis.
This measure began to be implemented on 12 November and lasted two weeks after the reactions on the one hand, both of the citizens and the business world were enormous and on the other hand, the spread of the virus began to grow in all the provinces, resulting in the lifting of the geographical separation of the two regions and the implementation of them, from 1 December 2020, strict restrictions on a nationwide basis.
December of the same year was the deadliest month of the pandemic, until then, with a simultaneous sharp increase in the daily number of cases. Specifically, 90 deaths had been recorded while the cases reached 950 (for one day).
In the same month, as in the whole of Europe, the first batches of vaccines against the coronavirus arrived in Cyprus. On December 27, 2020, the first vaccines were administered in nursing homes, while in the days that followed, the first vaccination centres were opened. Citizens initially appeared hesitant, but with the passage of weeks the numbers began to rise.
Two lockdowns in 2021
However, the outbreak caused in December 2020 by the British mutation, resulted in the Government proceeding on January 8, 2021 to the second universal lock-down, from which Cyprus began to emerge, again with a gradual de-escalation of restrictions on March 15. However, the epidemiological data remained at high levels and as a result, in April, the number of cases showed once again an upward trend, while during this month 73 deaths were recorded, a relatively high number compared to the then data of the pandemic. The deterioration of the epidemiological picture has once again led Cyprus, and despite the strong disagreements of some of the members of the Advisory Scientific Committee, to a total ban that came into force on April 23, 2021. Cyprus, that is, lived for the second time Easter in quarantine.
On May 10, the gradual de-escalation of the measures began and the measure of mandatory safepass presentation in specific areas was implemented for the first time with the conditions of entry differing for vaccinated, sick and unvaccinated. (SafePass was originally called CoronaPass, but then the Government decided that this term was inappropriate).
At the end of May, the number of daily cases had plummeted after falling to a few dozen times a day, which allowed all nightclubs to reopen on June 10. The rate of vaccination coverage in the adult population was then around 53%, but slowly it began to be found that elderly and elderly people who had received the two doses of the vaccine since January, began to lose the immunity they had acquired. A finding, of course, which the competent authorities of European and other countries began to discover.
At the beginning of July the epidemiological picture began to deteriorate again. The Government expanded the institution of SafePass which since July 20 was mandatory for entry to almost all places, while at the same time it proceeded to provide incentives to citizens to be vaccinated. In August the epidemiological indicators took the upper ride again, as a result of this time the mutation "Delta" and Cyprus began to record four-digit numbers of cases. This month surpassed the record number of hospitalizations and deaths held until then in December 2020, since the number of people who died with the final cause of death of the coronavirus reached 100 while the CSO was forced to significantly increase its available beds for the care of coronavirus patients. Apart from the tightening of SafePass, however, the Government did not take any other decisions concerning measures or restrictions. However, it proceeded with measures aimed at increasing vaccination coverage, the first of which was to end the granting of a free test to people who had not been vaccinated with the measure coming into force on August 1. By July 20, according to the Ministry of Health, 70.4% of the adult population was vaccinated against coronavirus.
By mid-August, it had been confirmed beyond doubt that the immunity acquired by elderly, and chronic patients, mostly immunosuppressed from their initial vaccination, dropped significantly. Thus, after the relevant decisions were taken on September 3rd, the administration of a booster dose (3rd dose) to people over 65 years of age began, with the beginning being done again in nursing homes. As far as vaccination coverage in general is concerned, on 14 September it was announced that about 80% of the adults had received at least one dose of the vaccine.
On October 8, the Government, despite the warnings of members of the scientific community, continued to proceed to relaxations of measures that were then in force, a practice that began to be reversed around the middle of the month when again the epidemiological indicators began to rise dangerously.
On November 24, 2021, the Government proceeded with the adoption of new measures, including by lowering the age limit for mandatory use of masks to 6 years and by applying SafePass to children 6-11 years old. At the same time, it was decided to vaccinate all adults in a strengthening way.
At the same time in the European Union, an alarm was sounded again due to the emergence of the "Omikron" mutation, so Cyprus, like the rest of the European countries, on 26 November proceeded to ban people from African countries from entering the island.
In December, after all the epidemiological indicators began to show a significant deterioration, the Government proceeded to take additional measures and restrictions.
On December 13, the Council of Ministers decided on new measures concerning unvaccinated people who, according to a decree, were left out, nightlife, restaurants and recreation areas, and social events such as weddings and christenings. At the same time it was decided to vaccinate children aged 5-11 years. A few days later SafePass was extended to the workplace and
On 29.12.2021, the day on which 3,002 cases were recorded, the Council of Ministers held an extraordinary meeting to take measures. This was preceded by a meeting between the Minister of Health and the members of the Advisory Scientific Committee. The Ministry decided to tighten the control measures at the entrance gates of the Republic, abolish the safe pass to those who had not completed their vaccination program and additional measures to limit transmission in gathering places, and teleworking for 40% of the staff of each company or organization in the service sector. In December 2021, a total of 47 deaths were recorded in Cyprus.
Deadliest in 2022
In January 2022, the epidemiological data not only did not allow decisions to be made on relaxations but led to further tightening of measures, with the start of de-escalation taking place in mid-February. As of yesterday, the obligation to present SafePass in supermarkets, bakeries, kiosks and pharmacies has been abolished, while negative tests as a prerequisite for people who have received all three doses of the vaccine remain only in nightlife and large social receptions. For people without vaccination coverage, the requirement remains in all areas, with longer duration, however, negative tests, depending on the category and level of risk for spreading the virus in each area and activity.
In contrast, of course, to the years 2020 and 2021, the numbers of daily cases remain on a daily basis around 2000 and despite the decrease in the number of hospitalized patients, the number of deaths probably remains at the highest levels since the beginning of the pandemic.
Specifically, in 2022, (until yesterday), even though we are only in the 1st week of the third of the month, it seems to record the highest number of deaths which have as their final cause of the coronavirus. Moreover, from the statistical data, it appears that one in 4 deaths recorded from the day of the beginning of the pandemic until yesterday, occurred during the first 67 days of 2022.
Specifically, until yesterday, a total of 881 deaths had been recorded since the beginning of the pandemic. In the month of January 2022, the number of people who died with the final cause of the coronavirus was 100, in February 99 and in March (first 8 days) 17. Out of a total of 881 deaths, 218 occurred between January 1, 2022 and yesterday.
Vaccination coverage for adults reached 88%. In the total population 76%. The next important question to be answered is whether Cyprus should follow the example of other countries and proceed with the administration of a 4th dose of vaccine to elderly and chronic patients.
